Use new technology for communication
Since 2001, the United States has not gained traction in reducing the rate unintended pregnancy. Research indicates that of the 6.7 million pregnancies in 2006, nearly half (49%) were unintended.1
How can your facility reach out to young adults with accurate reproductive health information to help prevent unintended pregnancy? Take a look at two programs: Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains' new text messaging program, "In Case You're Curious," and www.bedsider.org, sponsored by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Getting accurate information to young adults is imperative if they are to make educated, effective choices for pregnancy and disease prevention, say reproductive health advocates. According to a 2008 national survey of young women and men ages 18-29 conducted by the campaign, while significant proportions of young adults say they know either "everything" or "a lot" about some methods of contraception such as condoms or the Pill, they have gaps when it comes to other methods.2 For example:
- 70% of young adults (71% of men and 69% of women) say they know little or nothing about contraceptive implants;
- 67% (73% of men and 61% of women) say they have limited knowledge about intrauterine devices;
- almost one-third of young adults (32% of men and 30% of women) say they know little or nothing about emergency contraception.2
Teens take to texts
To reach out to youth in the Denver region, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has rolled out "In Case You're Curious," or ICYC. The program allows young people to text questions by typing "ICYC" to 66746. Questions are answered within 24 hours by a trained Planned Parenthood Community Education staff member.
Texting is an accepted mode of communication for teens. Research conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project indicates that half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month.3
The idea to create a text program was based on the Denver organization's more than 30 years of experience in the educational setting, says Marie Logsden, the agency's vice president for community education, professional training, and organizational diversity. "Youth want a confidential yet medically accurate and trusted source to turn to," says Logsden. "Texting embraces this concept, as well as adopts new technology to reach teens where they already are and in a way they are familiar with."
The ICYC program originally was created in 2010 for the Denver Teen Pregnancy Prevention Partnership. It became a program of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in October 2011; the agency publically launched the program in December 2011, says Logsden. The launch received a significant amount of media attention, which fueled numerous tweets as well as Facebook discussions, says Logsden.
"Social media has been a great tool for us in informing audiences about this program," she explains. "When teaching, our educators mention ICYC as a resource for medically accurate, age-appropriate information on sexual health issues. We often see a spike in texts after our educators meet with a school or after-school group, for example."
The Denver agency estimates the program will cost up to $12,000 to implement this year, which includes technology as well as human resources, says Logsden. "As the program grows and text volume increases, we anticipate incurring additional costs," she states. "This year will be spent monitoring and tracking trends in order to more effectively forecast costs for next year."
Get those on the go
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has developed Bedsider.org as a comprehensive online and mobile program to help sexually active women ages 18-24 find the right birth control method and use it carefully and consistently to prevent unplanned pregnancy.
"Although nearly all unmarried young women say they don't want to get pregnant at this point in their lives and strongly believe that pregnancy is something that should be planned, many young adults are not taking active, careful, and consistent steps to avoid unplanned pregnancy," says Bill Albert, chief program officer with the campaign. "Many are unaware of the many methods of birth control now available; many more harbor myths about birth control, doubt whether it actually works, and are overly fearful of side effects."
The Bedsider web site is designed to help young women find a method of birth control that's right for them and stick with it, through a series of online, video, and mobile components. Visitors can explore, compare, and contrast all available methods of contraception, set up birth control and appointment reminders, view videos of their peers discussing personal experiences, and watch animated shorts that debunk myths about contraception.
Visitors to Bedsider can type in their zip code to find the closest location for contraception or emergency contraception, or to get information on over-the-counter contraception. "We continue to add new health centers and clinics all the time and encourage users to provide us with updated information on already-listed centers or clinics or to provide us with information those that might be missing from the Bedsider database," says Albert. "Providers can update information by using the online form in the 'Where to Get It' section of Bedsider or simply send the information to [email protected]." (Check to see if your clinic is listed; type in your zip code at "Where To Get It." If your clinic isn't listed, click on ""Are we missing a health center? Let us know" on the search results page, under the map, and follow the prompts.)
Early indications from users since its 2010 inception suggest that the web site is helpful, says Albert.
"In a recent pilot test, more than 80% of all Bedsider users said that that the program made them more careful about birth control and less inclined to have unprotected sex."
References
- Finer LB, Zolna MR. Unintended pregnancy in the United States: incidence and disparities, 2006. Contraception 2011; 84:478-485.
- National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Self Magazine. Magical Thinking: Young Adults' Attitudes and Beliefs About Sex, Contraception, and Unplanned Pregnancy. Results from a Public Opinion Survey. Washington, DC: 2008. Accessed at http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/MagicalThinking.pdf.
- Lenhart A, Ling R, Campbell S, et al. Teens and Mobile Phones. Washington, DC; 2010. Accessed at: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones.aspx.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content